Josef Suk played second violin in the Bohemian String Quartet. Since 1914 the ensemble was obliged to perform the Austrian national anthem at the opening of every concert.Suk decided to supplement this obligatory piece with a work inspired by the ancient sacred Bohemian 'St. Wenceslas? hymn. The hymn's message - a plea for the well-being of the Czech people, directed at their patron saint - was immediately understood by the audience.The Bohemian String Quartet performed this single-movement Meditation for the first time on 27 September 1914 - the premiere of the version for string orchestra followed on 22 November 1914, played by the Czech Philharmonic. That same year the piece was published by Fr. A. Urbánek together with arrangements for piano and organ.This first Urtext edition, prepared by the Suk scholar Zdenek Nouza, is published in two scorings, one for string quartet (BA 9583 - study score TP 583) and another for string orchestra (BA 9584).The orchestral version differs in some details and has an added part for double bass. - First Urtext edition - Informative trilingual Foreword (Cz/Eng/Ger) and Critical Commentary (Eng) by the editor / Quatuor A Cordes

for Violin, Viola and Orchestra. Par MOZART WOLFGANG AMADEUS. There is no reference to the origin, occasion or a performance of the Sinfonia concertante in E-flat for Violin, Viola and Orchestra, K. 364 (320d) because in all probability it was composed in Salzburg (presumably in summer or early autumn, 1779): Mozart seems to have had no reason to write about it. It was apparently in Paris that he first had the occasion of giving the genre of the ; Symphonie concertante his special attention. On April 5, 1778, he wrote to his father: ; Now I shall write a sinfonie concertante for flute wendling, oboe Ramm, Punto horn, and Ritter bassoon. Even more discouraging must have been the fact that he had similardifficulties in Paris in having the works performed as he had in Mannheim. After the organizier of the Concerts spirituels, Le Gros, contrary to his promise, did not include the mentioned ; sinfonie concertante in his program. Mozart had no reason to compose any more for this genre in Paris. After Mozart's return to Salzburg, he might have been eager to introduce the new genre there, especially since adequate instrumentalists were available. Also the choice of the solo instruments (violin and viola) in the work presented here was probably influenced by the popularity of this instrumental combination in Salzburg at that time. - Urtext of the New Mozart Edition - Full score & parts (BA4900), study score format 22. 5 x 16. 5cm (TP176), violin, viola and piano reduction (BA4900-90) available for sale/ Répertoire / Orchestre

Born in South Africa, but now an Irish citizen, Kevin Volans' musical idiom has been shaped by an unusually diverse range of experiences, including studies with Stockhausen in Cologne, field trips to South Africa to study traditional music, his own involvement with the New Simplicity movement, his collection of contemporary art and African textiles, friendships with composers like Morton Feldman and Gerald Barry, as well as a love of virtuoso piano music which he performs, broadcasts and records. While having an easily recognised, unique voice, Volans' music resists compartmentalisation. He is as comfortable working in conventional genres as embarking on innovative collaborations with artists of other disciplines.String Quartet #1 (White Man Sleeps) was written for the Kronos Quartet and was first performed by them in July 1986, London.The title 'White Man Sleeps' comes from a moment in nyanga Panpipe music where the performers leave off playing their loud pipes for a few cycles and dance only to the sound of their ankle rattles, to let the white landowner sleep - for a minute or two.'In composing this piece I drew from the following sources: the first movement owes something to the style of Basotho concertina music - the second and fourth movements are drawn from traditional Nyungwe music played by Makina Chirenje and his Nyanga panpipe group at Nsava, Tete, Mozambique, recorded and transcribed by Andrew Tracey (to be found in an article entitled 'The nyanga Panpipe dance' in African Music, Vol.5, #1 (1971) - the third movement derives from the San bow music (recorded by Tony Traill of the University of Witwatersrand) and from Basotho lesiba music, transcribed by myself - in the fifth movement I added my own invented folklore. My approach to the original music was anything but purist - it is played in Western tuning, filtered, slowed down by a few 'time-octaves?, cast into non-African metres (like the 13-beat pattern of the first dance) and redistributed between the players in several ways. I also used interlocking techniques where they were absent in the original models and vice versa' - Kevin VolansDuration 24 minutes. Parts available: CH61205. / Quatuor A Cordes (Conducteur)

Josef Suk played second violin in the Bohemian String Quartet. Since 1914 the ensemble was obliged to perform the Austrian national anthem at the opening of every concert.Suk decided to supplement this obligatory piece with a work inspired by the ancient sacred Bohemian 'St. Wenceslas? hymn. The hymn's message - a plea for the well-being of the Czech people, directed at their patron saint - was immediately understood by the audience.The Bohemian String Quartet performed this single-movement Meditation for the first time on 27 September 1914 - the premiere of the version for string orchestra followed on 22 November 1914, played by the Czech Philharmonic. That same year the piece was published by Fr. A. Urbánek together with arrangements for piano and organ.This first Urtext edition, prepared by the Suk scholar Zdenek Nouza, is published in two scorings, one for string quartet (BA 9583 - study score TP 583) and another for string orchestra (BA 9584).The orchestral version differs in some details and has an added part for double bass. - First Urtext edition / Quatuor A Cordes

Par HYUNG-KI JOO RICHARD. Hyung-ki Joo composed his first string quartet for the graduation concert during his last term at the Yehudi Menuhin School in 1990. In it, he pays tribute to six different artists from music, painting and literature: Henry Purcell, Samuel Beckett, Ludwig van Beethoven, Edvard Munch, Johann Sebastian Bach and Arnold Schönberg. This edition is the set of parts. For the study score please click here: UE36966/ Répertoire / Quatuor à Cordes

Par BRAHMS JOHANNES. Braham's second symphony was an instant success when it first premiered in 1877. From its ingenious treatment of attractive melodic ideas in the first movement and the somber adagio, to the lyrical charm of the allegretto and the finale's robust cheerfulness, it is a delightful combination of enchanting melodies and masterly thematic treatment. A staple of the repertoire, it is reproduced here from an authoritative edition. The score appears with bar-numbered movements, ideal for study in the classroom, at home, or in the concert hall. This affordable, high-quality, conveniently sized volume will be edition of choice for music students and music lovers alike. Instrumentation includes: 4 Horns in C, D, E, G, B 2 Trumpets in D, B 3 Trombones Bass Tumba Timpani 2 Flutes 2 Oboes 2 Clarinets in A 2 Bassoons Violin 1, 2 Violas Cellos Basses/ Répertoire / Partition de Poche